The Moon Upon the Sea
by scribls
Summary: Sketches of a fairytale. Zuko. Yue.
1. Prologue

***[9/8/09] This story is currently under revision!*

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**Disclaimer:** _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ is the property of Nickelodeon and/or other parties. No copyright infringement intended.

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**Prologue**

She stood at her balcony. The night air stung like needles, but her heart was tepid. She rested her elbows upon the icy balustrade with her face cupped within gloved hands. Listlessly, she gazed at the scene before her.

The city below was aglow with torches. Ephemeral flickers danced atop waterways and sparkled across sidewalks, creating a frosty haze. The sky above lay as it always had, caught within a net of stars and soaking up the warm glow of a pale moon. Glimmers of light reflected from the sea.

She did not want to marry Hahn.


	2. Pleased to Meet You

**Disclaimer:** _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ is the property of Nickelodeon and/or other parties. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N:** The prologue takes place the night before the banquet.

The first segment is a private Yue moment, probably unnecessary and the only segment of this style in the entire story, outlining her thoughts. Takes place after the Katara-Pakku battle. Do Yue and Sokka kiss? Since this is a Zue ship, I don't think so, but you can decide.

Plot splits off at the second segment of this chapter, which starts in the Spirit Oasis as Aang is trying to meditate. I hope the jump in narration style isn't too distracting; the second part was written long before the first.

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**Pleased to Meet You**

Yue stares at her image in the mirror trying to smile. Unable to meet the clear eyes of her reflection, she looks down at her betrothal necklace and slowly slides a finger along the deep blue ribbon. A warm drop lands on her hand. She looks up again and softly laughs at her dismal image, wiping her face with a sleeve.

She is confused. Truthfully, she hadn't thought much of the boy from the Southern Water Tribe when she first met him. He seemed nice, a little desperate and awkward, of course, but nice. But the next day, on the bridge, he complimented her. It wasn't a smooth, offhanded comment like the ones she got from Hahn, but a genuine expression. Flattered by his attention, she thoughtlessly urged on his budding affections. And left him as confused and disappointed as her.

Katara said that her grandmother was brave for running away. Was she? Running away from her family, her friends, her _home_…without even saying goodbye. Running away…

Yue sighs and reaches down for the necklace. _She likes Sokka._ She carefully ties it around her neck. _But she loves her people._

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"Maybe we should get some help," Yue suggested, and left before Katara could protest.

As she walked to the outer wall, anxiety crept upon her, so she began to quicken her pace. Rounding the corner, she suddenly hit something solid and fell back, sliding on the ice. Flustered, she looked at the thing she had run into. To her surprise, the thing looked back.

For a moment, molten gold locked crystal blue…_dark features, snow-white hair_…_light skin, an angry scar_… A distant shout aroused them from their stupor. Yue watched the boy, dressed in a light gray coat, as he leapt to his feet. She could only gasp and scoot backwards in fear, hastily trying to rise. When she got on her knees, she felt his hand on her arm and jumped in surprise, causing her to slip. But just as she thought she was going to hit the ice, he caught her, and she felt herself being lifted upright.

Slightly shaken, she was about to respond with an automatic "thank you" when he ran towards the Sprit Oasis without a word. Realizing his intent, but bewildered at his actions, she hastened to find Sokka.

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When Yue and Sokka arrived back at the Spirit Oasis, there was more than just one firebender in their midst. A group of men clad in full Fire Nation armor stood facing an older man. Katara was standing in stance to the side, looking fearfully at a bag clutched in one of the men's hands.

Suddenly, a block of ice on the wall beside them suddenly melted.

"Do what he says, Zhao."

All eyes turned on the boy, who walked up a few paces and then assumed a stance similar to the older man's.

"You're alive?" the man holding the bag sputtered in disbelief.

"You tried to have me killed," the boy retorted.

They were interrupted when the warriors Yue and Sokka had alerted arrived at the door. The man backed up a step. Spurred by his temporary distraction, the boy abruptly lunged at him. Spheres of fire and spears of ice filled the air in a chaotic shower.

Katara attempted to pull Aang's body away from the fight, but was knocked back by a Fire Nation soldier. Torn between protecting Yue and helping his sister, Sokka pressed Appa's reigns into Yue's hands, frantically told her to get some help, and swiftly ran towards his sister.

As Yue led Appa towards the door, she caught a glimpse of the boy laying face down a little ways from the battle. In a moment of hesitation, a stray ice spear pierced through the hood of her coat and into the wall. Panicking, she tried to pull away, but the fine material would not tear.

She tried once more, but to no avail. Looking down helplessly, she snatched up the upper part of her coat, struggling to remove the garment. Moments later, she felt an unexpected heat by her head and a hand pulling her loose. But before she could turn around, an arm, armored in red, found its way around her neck. She felt herself being pushed towards the fray.

Fear gripped her heart as she tried to free herself from the man's grip. Her weak thrashing only served to tighten the pressure on her throat. As he spoke his first words, threatening the life of the princess, he suddenly lurched forward at an angle, releasing Yue. She fell and scrambled on her knees away from her short-lived captor.

Glancing back, she saw the boy in gray.

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**A/N:** What do you think? Are any of the characters too out of character? Is the action too fast-paced? Is the style too awful? I'm not quite sure how I'm going to resolve this, actually. 

One last question, if Zuko gets captured in the Northern Water Tribe, should Iroh be captured with him? Or should Iroh be allowed to/forced to go home? Thanks for reading!


	3. The Prisoner's Dilemma

**Disclaimer:** _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ is the property of Nickelodeon and/or other parties. No copyright infringement intended.

**A/N:** I'm ALIVE! But seriously, thanks to all my readers for sticking with me. With the forthcoming _Avatar_ episodes, I'm finally getting my inspiration back. Somehow, someway, I will finish this story. Also, thanks to all reviewers for reviewing and responding to my previous queries. Thanks for all alerts and favorites.

I present to you: Chapter Three.

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**The Prisoner's Dilemma**

Yue looked down at the line of prisoners. A single faded gray broke the string of red. When she turned around, she saw her father and the Avatar and his friends deep in discussion.

"That's him," Sokka pointed out, "With Zhao gone, he's the one you should keep an eye on."

"The prince of the Fire Nation," Chief Arnook mused grimly, "perhaps we are in luck."

"Whatever you do, be careful," Sokka warned. "The Fire Nation can't be trusted."

Yue frowned slightly and gazed once more at the figure in gray. All her life she had heard about the ruthlessness of the Fire Nation. _But this boy…_

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Alight once more with festivity, the banquet hall radiated laughs and chatter drunk simultaneously with victory and mourning. Yue sat awkwardly beside Sokka as her father honored the Avatar trio as well as the Northern Water Tribe warriors. Politely clapping as the crowd cheered, Yue thanked the Ocean and Moon Spirits for every warrior who safely made it through battle and prayed for those who did not. Then, her father uttered the one name that brought her relief, but also an emotion she dared not breach.

"Hahn, who bravely headed our attack on the Fire Nation navy. We wish for his quick recovery!"

Yue watched as Hahn, looking ridiculous swathed in a myriad of bandages, swaggered over to her table. She began to berate herself for feeling anything but happiness at his return. Miserably trying to mask her guilt with a look of joy, Yue stood and weakly smiled, "Hahn, I'm so glad that you're safe."

Misinterpreting her discomfort, Hahn leaned towards her and, after glancing smugly at a disgruntled Sokka, casually declared, "Don't be too worried, Yue, these scratches are nothing. The Fire Nation was no match against me!"

"No," Sokka muttered, "but apparently ocean water was."

Hahn snapped angrily, "What did you say, peasant?"

"You heard me," Sokka countered.

As Hahn began to lunge towards Sokka, Yue put out her hands and pleaded, "Please, stop! You two are acting like children!"

Sokka leaned back into his seat, but directed a sour look towards Hahn. Hahn ignored Sokka's glare and sputtered, "You're taking sides with him?"

Yue's eyes widened. "What? No! No, I just…"

"Whatever," Hahn huffed. "After all that I've been through, I can't believe this," he trailed off as he stomped away to boast to someone who would appreciate him.

Yue sighed and buried her face in her hands. "No, that's not what I…"

Sokka laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Princess Yue." He echoed what Hahn had said earlier, but comfortingly, without conceit. "He's just a jerk. Don't listen to him."

Yue looked up at Sokka and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Sokka."

"What? No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Sokka sheepishly looked down at his hands, but then back up again as Yue rose from the table.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sokka bewilderedly asked.

Yue paused. "I'm…not feeling well," she murmured and walked away.

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Yue aimlessly shuffled along the sidewalk, trying to sort out her emotions. The icy ground glinted with the steady blaze of torches. Following its liquid trail of light, she found herself at the edge of a canal. Resting in the water was the comforting reflection of the full moon.

As she looked at the reflection, she contemplated the best way to mend things with Hahn. Honestly, she thought, he would probably forget everything by morning. Running her carefully constructed apology through her head, Yue gradually became aware of her surroundings. She was in what was usually the most secluded part of the city, the site of the Northern Water Tribe prison.

From what she knew, the prison was rarely used. Punishments for the few delinquent members of society were usually public and often involved the entire community. The last time the prison was fully occupied…was just after the Fire Nation attack eighty-five years ago.

Yue treaded softly towards the entrance to the prison, keeping herself tucked within the shadows. She stopped and peeked out from a nearby building. Only about a half-dozen or so guards were on duty. The others were probably celebrating at the banquet. Every few minutes it seemed, a couple of new guards would appear and relieve the ones at post. Each time, they would bring with them food and skins of wine.

Yue frowned at the recklessness of the guards. What if they got drunk? Were the prisoners supposed to guard themselves? But she quickly pacified her irritation. It wasn't entirely fair to the guards, she reasoned, to be left out of festivities.

Looking back at the prison's entrance, she leaned against the side of the building. A flash of gray stole into her mind. Idly, she wondered how she could thank him, or even if she should thank him. After all, he was the Fire Nation's prince; he must have done terrible things in the past.

But he had saved her life…

Yue took a step forward, unsure of what to do. 'What would the guards think,' she worried, 'and how would the prince react?' She bit her lip in uncertainty, absentmindedly whispering aloud her most troubling sentiment.

"What would my mother think of me if she knew how ungrateful I'm being?"

Spurred by this shameful thought, she resolved to thank him. Not only thank him, but she would even tell her father about what he did. Doesn't he deserve some reprieve for saving the princess of the Northern Water Tribe? If it were not for him… She shuddered.

Confident with her decision, Yue made her way towards the prison entrance. But after her first step, she suddenly felt something trap her waist. A hand immediately covered her mouth. Feeling her heart leap into her throat, Yue began to struggle. The arm around her tightened and a low, husky voice hissed into her ear.

"Stop moving and be quiet!"

When Yue kept thrashing, the voice tried a different approach.

"Please…I won't hurt you."

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**A/N:** So…this has taken a drastically different turn from what I had expected… And I seriously hope that it doesn't disappoint.

Anyhow, have the characters become out-of-character? I know the whole Yue-stream-of-conscious thing can get kind of weird. Has the style degenerated terribly since my last chapter…many, many moons ago? What do you think and thanks for reading!


	4. Two Steps Back

**Disclaimer:** _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ is the property of Nickelodeon and/or other parties. No copyright infringement intended.

**Two Steps Back**

As soon as Yue began to calm down, she felt herself being slowly pulled away from the prison. Wary of the movement, she tried to ask, "Where are you taking me," but her efforts were muffled by an unnaturally warm hand and met with an admonishing shush. She fearfully watched as the prison building edged out of sight.

With a sudden spurt of energy, Yue twisted out of the man's grip. Running towards the guards, she shouted for help with all her breath. After only two meager steps, however, she felt a sharp tug on the back of her hood. With a yelp, she stumbled back into the waiting arms of her captor with enough force to knock the both of them over. She winced as she heard the thud of bone hitting ice.

Rolling off her captor, Yue saw the prison guards running towards them. An uproar began the instant the guards caught sight of the two figures sprawled on the ground. They immediately surrounded the man, pointing their weapons at his throat and freezing his arms and legs.

"Princess Yue," a guard anxiously asked as he helped her up, "are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," Yue began, looking back at the others. "Thank you for sav…"

The guard interrupted her to apologize profusely for the lax security in the prison. He didn't notice that she had stopped paying attention to him and was staring at the man who, just a few moments ago, had her in his grasp. The man was kneeling on the ground with his hands frozen behind his back and a spear pointed at the base of his neck. He tried to look up before a guard pushed his head back down with the spear. Yue gasped.

She looked at the guard, then back at the man. "I…"

"Princess Yue?"

Turning towards the guard, she responded uncertainly, "I think there's been…a mistake."

The guard looked confused. "I'm sorry? A mistake?"

"I…" Yue stuttered helplessly. "What will happen to this man?"

The guard tried to look reassuring. "You won't have to worry about him, Princess. We'll make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."

"Yes, but, what will happen to _him_," she asked again.

"He will be sent to the council of elders for trial," the guard began. He paused, as if he didn't know whether or not he should continue.

"Yes?"

"For threatening the life of the princess, he'll probably be exiled or executed. But since he's Fire Nation, the last thing we'll want to do is to let him go free."

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**Author's Note:** Please review! Reviews let me know whether or not you like the story and if there's anything I should change. Plus, reviews make me happy and keep me writing! :) Thanks for reading!


	5. The Great Escape

**Disclaimer:** _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ is the property of Nickelodeon and/or other parties. No copyright infringement intended.

**Author's Note:** Wow. It's been a long update. Thanks for your patience, guys! Hope you enjoy!

Edit: I read through it again. The OOCness was worse than I thought. -_-' I've made some preliminary revisions, mainly to the dialogue. This should sit slightly better.

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**The Great Escape**

Yue's wide eyes flickered to the prisoner, but she quickly looked away when a wave of fear cut through her daze. "No...you can't...he can't..."

The guard shifted uncomfortably. "Princess, this incident must have been very troubling for you. Please let me escort you back to the palace. I assure you that – "

"No!" Yue took a step back. "You can't execute this man. He did nothing wrong!"

The guard began to protest, but Yue interrupted. "He saved my life!"

"Princess?" the guard asked.

"During the battle, in the Spirit Oasis!" Yue said quickly. "A Fire Nation soldier caught me. This man -" she gestured to the prisoner, "he saved my life. Please, you must let him go!"

The guard was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Princess, we cannot. It is our duty to bring him before the council of elders to be judged."

The guard waved for the others to take the prisoner away, then beckoned for Yue to return to the palace. Yue reluctantly followed the guard, dread bubbling in her stomach.

The guards prodded the prisoner to his feet. After slowly and deliberately standing up, the prisoner refused to move any further. A guard grabbed the prisoner's arm and tried to drag him in the direction of the prison, but the prisoner jerked back and swept his leg under the guard's. As the guard fell, several angry shouts and rough hands assaulted the prisoner. Hearing the commotion behind her, Yue stopped and looked back.

Several guards were roughly restraining the prisoner and jabbing at him with their spears. One spear pointed dangerously at the base of his jaw. The guard jerked it spitefully as the prisoner continued to struggle, and suddenly a streak of red appeared on his neck. He fell. Yue gasped and ran towards them.

"Stop!" she cried as she neared them. "Stop it!"

The guard who was escorting her was just a couple of steps behind her, entreating her to come back.

Yue ignored him and shoved away the hands and weapons of the stunned guards. "What are you doing?" She demanded, her face flushed with anger. "You have no right to treat a prisoner this way! He has not been tried. He's done nothing wrong!" She bent down and reached for the prisoner.

"Princess, no!" She startled a bit and looked back at the guard.

Suddenly, the slumped over prisoner leaped up and grabbed her. She yelped as he slipped an arm around her neck and lit a flame by her face.

"Get back!" When the guards hesitated, he swung the flame closer to her face. "Now!"

Yue gasped and tried to pull away, but her actions only made him tighten his grip.

"Don't follow us." He started backing up slowly, glancing around for any sign of movement from the guards.

"If any of you get in my way, your princess won't live to see tomorrow."

Suddenly, he threw the fire at the guards. Letting go of Yue's neck, he grabbed her arm and started to run. The guards shouted in alarm. A few started to chase after them, only to be held back by others. While the prisoner took their princess further and further away with every step, the guards were left in helpless disarray.

The boy led Yue through a confusing jumble of turns and alleyways. She stumbled a few times, but his momentum stopped her from falling.

"Stop," she tried to say, out of breath. But he kept going.

"Where are we?" he gasped.

"I don't kn-" She focused her eyes on the looming structure before her. "W-we're by the palace."

The boy slowed and surveyed the buildings in front of him. After swiftly checking to make sure no one was around, he ducked under a nearby bridge. He leaned against the bridge, one hand still clutching Yue's sleeve, and started to catch his breath.

Yue tugged her sleeve half-heartedly, but stopped when his grip didn't give. He glanced over at her.

"I'm sorry, Princess." His breathing slowed. "Don't try to escape. Please."

Yue stared back at him in disbelief. Tears began to well in her eyes as she attempted to absorb the anxiety, the fear, and the confusion bombarding her like never before. Never mind the fact that she was alone in the clutches of the son of her tribe's greatest enemy.

"What are you trying to do!" she cried in frustration. "I was going to- if you hadn't run away, I could've talked to my father and-"

"And what!" he countered. She recoiled a little from the ferocity with which he spoke. He sighed and softened his voice.

"Didn't you hear them? I'm as good as dead."

"My father -"

"I am the crown prince of the Fire Nation. My troops just attacked your country. I-I just kidnapped you!" A little fluster crept into his voice. "If your guards had caught me back there, it would've been a great excuse to get rid of me once and for all."

Zuko groaned and slumped back against the bridge.

"It's useless. _I'm_ useless."

Yue shifted uncomfortably.

"What will you do now?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"If...if you return me unharmed -"

"No."

Yue frowned at him for interrupting.

"A ransom, then?"

He closed his eyes, considering the idea for a moment.

"No. I don't think I'm in a position to be ransoming anyone at this point. Even if your father agrees to a ransom, there's no guarantee that he'll follow throu-"

"My father is a good chief and an honorable man!" She managed to shoot him a look of outrage for even suggesting otherwise. "He will keep his word," she insisted forcefully.

Zuko paused. She almost missed the slightest glint of pain flashing through his eyes.

"Even if your father allows me to go... Ugh!" He wiped a hand across his face. "I just can't take that risk." He sighed. "I was so close..."

Yue's expression saddened. "To capturing the Avatar?" she asked quietly.

When he didn't answer, she pressed on.

"Why do want to capture the Avatar so much?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"I would."

"You _wouldn't_," he stated emphatically and rose to his feet.

"We're going."

"Where?"

"Away from here, the Water Tribe."

"What?" she asked weakly. "I can't leave..."

"I'm sorry, Princess, but you don't have much of a choice."

"But my people need me. Surely you must understand that. I have a duty-"

"And I have mine." Zuko snapped in irritation.

Yue bit her lip, but couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face. How did she get into this mess?

Zuko shuffled awkwardly, horrified at the sight before him. Why did girls have to be so difficult?

"I... Please stop..." She began to sniff, trying to hold down the sobs threatening to spill from her throat.

He put a hand on her shoulder hesitantly.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

She looked up at him, wiping at her face with the back of her mitten.

"You'll get back to your people. I promise."

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**Author's Note:** Hmm...

By the way, in a meager attempt to speed up my updates and to vastly improve the quality of my writing, I'm trying to find a betareader (unsuccessful so far -_-'). If any of you are interested, please PM me.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


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